Flair Smart Vent User Manual
- June 3, 2024
- Flair
Table of Contents
Flair Smart Vent
Specifications
- PACKAGE DIMENSIONS: 29 x 6.22 x 2.52 inches
- ITEM WEIGHT: 48 pounds
- SPECIFIC USES FOR PRODUCT: Residential
- POWER SOURCE: AC & Battery
- VOLTAGE: 24 Volts
- MATERIAL: Alloy Steel
- SHAPE: Rectangular
- SCREEN SIZE: 10 Inches
- CONTROL TYPE: Voice Control
- NUMBER OF ITEMS: 1
- CONTROL METHOD: Voice
- MOUNTING TYPE: Wall, Ceiling, or Floor
- BATTERIES: 2 C batteries
- BRAND: Flair
Introduction
Smart airflow for your house. By automatically adjusting how much air is sent to each room, your central heating and cooling system may reduce uneven room temperatures across your house. Flair’s Smart Vent keeps you and your pocketbook comfy with energy savings of up to 30%.
Read First
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Initially, during Setup, keep all Flair Pucks and Smart Vents in the same room. This will ensure devices are in good range to be discovered by Flair, and that you can verify the light bar pattern on a Smart Vent when it’s discovered. Flair devices can be installed in rooms after Setup. If you plan to wire Smart Vents to AC power, complete Setup with batteries. You’ll remove the batteries prior to installing in the duct.
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You’ll need the login information for your smart thermostat (if integrating one) and your 2.4 GHz home WiFi network.
Note: Flair will not see 5.0 GHz WiFi networks. -
When naming rooms in the Flair App, choose names that reflect where the devices will be located (ex: Master Bedroom or Kitchen). If you’re installing a lot of Pucks and Smart Vents, temporarily labelling them to keep track can be helpful!
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If you’re installing a system with more than 16 devices (Pucks plus Smart Vents), use the Large System Calculator to determine how many Gateway Pucks to configure:
https://flair.co/pages/large-systems
Install Flair App & Create an Account
First, download the Flair app to your mobile device.
iOS app from the Apple App Store: https://flair.co/ios
Android app from the Play Store: https://flair.co/android
Next, open the Flair App and use your email address to create your Flair account.
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② Flair Setup② Flair Setu② Flair Setup
Flair Setup
**** During Setup, keep all Flair Pucks and Smart Vents in the same room.
To begin Setup, open the Flair app click “Create Home”, or click the plus and select “Add new Home”.
The Flair Setup wizard will lead you through each of the following configuration steps:
- Make the first Puck a Gateway Puck and connect it to Wi-Fi
- Add a thermostat
- Assemble Pucks and Smart Vents
- Discover Smart Vents and additional Pucks and add them to rooms
- Configure settings for Flair’s advanced automation features
If you experience any issues during WiFi setup, complete Flair Setup at my.flair.co in a browser on a computer/laptop connected to the customer’s home WiFi.
Note: Flair will not see 5.0 GHz WiFi networks. Most routers have dual band capability to broadcast both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz frequencies.
Install Pucks and Smart Vents
If you’re wiring Smart Vents, remove the batteries now.
Install Smart Vents and Pucks in their respective rooms, but don’t attach Pucks just yet, as they may need to be moved when checking signal range in the next step.
Check Signal Range
All Smart Vents and Sensor Pucks need to connect to a Gateway Puck. If Sensor Pucks or Smart Vents are offline or have weak signal, try moving a Gateway closer, adding a Gateway Puck to the system, or converting a Sensor Puck to a Gateway Puck (see below).
If a Gateway Puck is offline or has weak signal, try moving it closer to the router.
Use the following steps to check signal strength and device status.
- In the Flair App view Smart Vent and Puck status at the base of the room tile (see right)
- Check Puck online/offline status and signal strength indicator to the right of its status. More bars equal a stronger signal.
- Check the Smart Vent status to see how changes to set point and room temperature affect vent open/close state.
- In the Flair app, go to Home Statistics to view device signal strength over time. To view signal strength for devices in a specific room, tap the dot menu on the room tile and select “Stats”. Change Graph Data to “RSSI dB”. Good signal strength for a Puck is greater than -85dB, and good signal strength for a Smart Vent is greater than -75dB. For more information, see Appendix C for Troubleshooting Connectivity.
To improve signal strength, you can add an additional Gateway Puck, or convert an existing Sensor Puck to a Gateway. To convert a Sensor Puck to a Gateway Puck:
- Plug in the Puck to be used as the additional Gateway to AC power using the supplied Flair cable and adapter
- In the Puck’s gear menu, select “Forget WiFi”. Let the Puck restart
- In the Puck’s gear menu, select “Make Gateway”. Let the Puck restart.
- In the Flair App click the plus and select Add a New Gateway Puck
- Follow the Gateway Setup wizard
Appendix A: Smart Vent Power Options
Each Smart Vent includes 2 c-cell batteries for power. These batteries can last up to four years with regular use. You can also power the Smart Vent using 24 VAC power or 12V DC power.
Flair Setup will guide you through assembling Smart Vents with batteries. Wiring is done after Setup. Instructions on how to wire to AC power are included in the box with each Smart Vent.
Power Options
Batteries (2 AAAs Included) Best for locations where wired power is unavailable or inconvenient. Typical battery life is 3 to 4 years.
Wired
(Available on all Flair Smart Vents)
Ideal for new construction and renovations.
Recommended Transformer Elk TRG2440
(available to Flair Pros on the exclusive store)
For more information on wiring Smart Vents, visit flair.co/vent- manual
Appendix B: Puck Power Options
Each Puck includes a USB AC adapter, 5 ft. USB cable, two Lithium Metal AAA batteries, a Puck door, and an adhesive strip.
Gateway vs Sensor
Flair Gateway Pucks need to be powered using the supplied cable and adapter (see options below for hiding cables). The Flair USB cable is a specialized cable. Contact Flair for using alternate or longer USB cables.
Flair Sensor Pucks can use batteries for a streamlined install. Sensors Pucks can also be powered using the supplied cable and adapter. Typical battery life is approximately 1 year. Using rechargeable batteries will work, but may give false low-battery alerts.
Typical Customer Install
Flair Puck USB Mount
Flair’s USB Mount adapter (available for purchase at flair.co ) allows for a Puck to fit snugly to walls for an elegant and secure placement. Mount where temperature is accurate and reliable.
Appendix C: Troubleshooting Connectivity
Understanding Puck Range
All Smart Vents and Sensor Pucks need to connect to a Gateway Puck. If Smart Vents or Sensor Pucks are offline, have a weak signal, or go offline frequently, try moving a Gateway closer, or see “Add a Gateway Puck” below.
How to Check Smart Vent and Puck Status
A Smart Vent and Puck’s online/offline status is displayed at the bottom of the room tile. The signal strength is represented by the number of bars In the signal strength indicator to the right of the device status.
How to Check Smart Vent or Puck Signal Strength
To see signal strength for the system over time, tap the Flair menu and go to Home Statistics. To see signal strength for devices in a specific room, tap the 3-dot menu and select “Stats”. Scroll to the Puck or Vent graph and change “Graph Data” to “RSSI dB” and change the date/time parameters.
Troubleshooting Puck or Vent Signal
During Setup, Pucks and Smart Vents may take up to five minutes* to join a Flair network. If, after five minutes, you don’t see the units online, try the following troubleshooting steps.
- Gateway Puck: Gateway Pucks display a Wi-Fi icon: More bars indicate a stronger signal. An ‘x’ in the Wi-Fi symbol means it’s not connected to Wi-Fi. Place the Gateway Puck closer to the router, away from large metal objects.
- Sensor Puck: Sensor Pucks communicate with the nearest Gateway Puck. To test range, temporarily move the Sensor Puck closer to a Gateway Puck. If the Sensor Puck comes online, see “Add a Gateway Puck” below.
- Smart Vent: Try bringing a Gateway closer to the Smart Vent. If it comes online, see “Add a Gateway Puck” below. Ensure battery cover is flush with the Vent, gaps can prevent batteries from making contact. Try resetting the Vent: remove the flat battery holder and remove batteries. Wait 2 minutes for capacitors to drain, and then replace batteries and the battery cover.
- Batteries: Ensure batteries are properly installed. Try fresh, new batteries.
During Setup, device discovery is limited to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of inactivity, Flair will disable device discovery, and the Gateway will stop trying to discover units. This saves power.
Add a Gateway Puck
If Sensor Pucks are going offline, they may be too far from a Gateway Puck. To boost signal strength in the Flair network, you can add another Gateway Puck, or convert an existing Sensor Puck to a Gateway. To convert a Sensor Puck to a Gateway Puck:
- Plug in the Puck to be used as the additional Gateway to power using the supplied Flair cable and adapter
- In the Puck’s gear menu, select “Forget WiFi”. Let the Puck restart
- In the Puck’s gear menu, select Make Gateway. The Puck will then restart.
- In the Flair App click the plus and select Add a New Gateway Puck
- Follow the Gateway Setup wizard.
Appendix D: Vent Light Patterns
When batteries are inserted, the Smart Vent will open and close its louvers, displaying a light pattern of 3 illuminated lights, followed by 2. Then, the lights will turn off.
During Setup, lights will cycle in a pattern until the Smart Vent pairs with a Gateway Puck. This can take up to 5 minutes. After 30 minutes with no pairing, lights will turn off to save battery life. Turn on Setup Mode to restart Discovery.
When paired with a Gateway Puck, the Smart Vent will display its unique light pattern until Setup is exited, or for 30 minutes. Smart Vents will display their light pattern any time Setup is entered, or when batteries are replaced.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when pressure is present in an HVAC system?****
Pressure sensors are used by both our Smart Vents and Pucks to comprehend variations in external static pressure brought on by opening and closing vents throughout your home HVAC system. Since homeowners frequently open and reopen manual vents, a system like ours is really safer than those. We never close more than one-third of the vents in a system, in addition to using pressure sensors to detect changes in pressure. A study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs has demonstrated the safety of this. We employed a 100% safety margin over their findings in order to move farther.
Do you not have a less expensive alternative to the Flair Puck for each room? This improvement is pricey!****
Flair can read temperature from distant sensors in an ecobee or Honeywell Wi- Fi-connected smart thermostat. Remember that a Flair home requires at least one Puck that is set up as a Gateway and is connected to AC power with the included connection and adapter. For large systems (more than 11 Flair devices) or to spread the RF (radio frequency) signals around the house to all Smart Vents, you might require extra Flair Pucks.
Is it possible to utilize Eco bee remote sensors with Flare smart vents?****
Yes! Ecobee, Ecobee, and Room Sensors are compatible with Flair Pucks and Smart Vents. For your Flair system, at least one Puck is required. The “gateway” that Puck will serve as will connect your ecobee system to our Smart Vents.
Can I wire ac electricity into the smart vent?****
The sole provider of Smart Vents with a wired powered option is Flair. Never again will batteries be a concern for you! Our vents can be powered by 24 VAC, which is the industry standard. The Flair Knowledge Base or the Smart Vent’s instruction manual both have instructions on how to wire each Smart Vent for AC power.
Can I Connect These to My Zwave Network And Use Something Other Than The Puck To Control Them? For Example, Home Assistant Or Smart things?****
You cannot add these to your zwave network since they don’t communicate via zwave. However, one of our clients has created an integration with Smart things, and we do offer an Open API.
Does the Flair 6×12 vent work with the Keen 6×14 trim kit?****
Yes, it functions. I used screws to attach the Flair vent to the Keen trim. The vent was mounted to the ceiling using the pre-existing holes in the Keen trim. Then, because both the Flair vent cover and the Keen trim are composed of metal, I used extremely strong button magnets to keep them together. For my ceiling-mounted vent, this worked out fine. The Flair trim piece is still standing.
Does the puck alter the thermostat’s temperature setting? Or is it exclusive to that vent/sensor?****
The puck can be used as a sort of communication hub for all the vents, or it can be configured to manage the ecobee set point.
Can I set up these vents using a full-sized online interface without a smartphone?****
The manufacturer may need to be consulted, but the vents will work on any device that can access the App Store and download its user interface in order to load, set up, and utilize it.
Do these vents have fully open, totally closed, or a preset for partial openings?****
There is no intermediate condition; they alternate between completely open and all closed. The algorithm is quite basic. The vents open when the temperature exceeds T-1 and close when T+1 is reached in heat mode with a temperature set at T.
If the room is too hot or cold, how does it pull more air? Has it got a fan?****
It doesn’t draw in any additional air. To lessen airflow from the vent, it seals the vent.